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Earlier this month, we published “Rebuilding Local Journalism at Scale,” a new report by Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro analyzing nearly 560 proposals submitted to Press Forward’s infrastructure open call. The response was immediate—and intense. One interview Elizabeth did with Dick Tofel became his most-read post, generating more than 70 comments. We saw record attendance on our network call exploring the findings. Across the field, funders, publishers and journalists began weighing in—on LinkedIn, at Nieman Lab and elsewhere. All of it points to something important: This report is less a conclusion and more a starting point for a much larger conversation about what comes next. And it’s a reminder of something we don’t say out loud often enough: There is real demand in this field for more candid, outcome-oriented conversations—not for their own sake, but to actually move the work forward. For all the attention on media right now, there still aren’t enough spaces where funders can wrestle with these questions together. That’s part of what we’re trying to build at Media Impact Funders. In some ways, it’s always been the work. But this moment is asking more of all of us—and we’re trying to… Read More

Today, Media Impact Funders is releasing Rebuilding Local Journalism at Scale, a new report by Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro that offers one of the most comprehensive practitioner-defined analyses of local journalism infrastructure to date. The report synthesizes nearly 560 applications submitted to Press Forward’s infrastructure open call, and the applications provide a rare, aggregated signal from across the field. Rather than focusing on individual organizations, the analysis examines the system-level constraints limiting scale, coordination, and long-term sustainability. (In a related piece, Press Forward Executive Director Dale Anglin describes how the open call created a rare field-wide snapshot of the structural barriers facing local journalism.) The findings suggest that many of the challenges facing local journalism are structural rather than organizational. They raise important questions for funders about infrastructure, coordination and the role of philanthropy in supporting civic information systems. Read the Report

Editor’s Note: Today, Media Impact Funders published “Rebuilding Local Journalism at Scale: A Field-Level Analysis of Infrastructure Needs,” a new report by Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro examining structural constraints facing local journalism. The analysis draws on nearly 560 applications submitted to Press Forward’s nationwide infrastructure open call. In the reflection below, Press Forward Executive Director Dale Anglin describes how the open call was designed and why the resulting dataset offers a rare field-wide snapshot of the barriers facing local news. In 2024, Press Forward issued a nationwide Open Call focused on local news infrastructure. We asked a simple but urgent question: What would make it easier to launch and sustain local newsrooms in communities across the country? Working with our staff and management team and drawing on input from newsroom leaders and journalism support organizations, we designed an initiative aimed squarely at the systems that underpin local news. We asked applicants to address four persistent pain points affecting nearly every newsroom: revenue generation, internal operations, human resources and audience growth. The response was extraordinary. We received 559 letters of interest from organizations across the country. Ultimately, 22 organizations were selected to share $22 million in funding.  The analysis… Read More

Albi is reimagining what narrative infrastructure can look like in one of the most polarized cultural contexts in the world. Through its Film and Television Fund, institute and lab, the organization supports films by and about Israelis and Palestinians that resist binaries and make room for complexity, dissent and human proximity. In this Member Spotlight Q&A, Founder and President Libby Lenkinski reflects on how Albi defines success beyond awards or reach, why audience “encounter” matters more than scale, and what it takes to fund storytelling responsibly in conflict environments. She also explains how the organization’s Protection Hub safeguards filmmakers who are under threat and how the Palestinian Creatives Pipeline is building long-term structural access for emerging storytellers. Media Impact Funders: Albi works on documentaries in one of the most polarized spaces imaginable, where many people arrive with strongly held beliefs. Your goal is to “establish paradigm-shifting narratives.” What are the ways you think about achieving that goal and what are your markers for success? Libby Lenkinski: Albi works from a simple premise. In deeply polarized environments, facts alone rarely change minds. Stories reshape what people believe is imaginable. Documentary cinema is uniquely powerful because it operates simultaneously as… Read More

Media Impact Funders is pleased to announce that Nina Sachdev has been named Deputy Director of External Affairs. Nina has been an integral part of MIF’s leadership for the past decade. She joined the organization when it had just two full-time staff members and, as MIF’s first full-time communications director, helped build the organization’s voice, public presence, and member engagement strategy from the ground up. Over the years, she developed strategic approaches to storytelling and convening that elevated MIF’s profile and strengthened connections across the media funding ecosystem. In her new role as Deputy Director of External Affairs, Nina will take on an expanded portfolio focused on strengthening strategic partnerships, deepening member engagement, supporting fundraising and revenue strategy, and working closely with MIF’s leadership team and Board of Directors to advance the organization’s long-term vision. She will continue to play a central role in shaping how MIF connects funders across journalism, documentary, public media, and technology. “I’ve spent the past decade helping build Media Impact Funders alongside an incredible team, and I’m excited to step into this new role at a moment when the field needs strong connection and coordination more than ever,” Nina said. “As Deputy Director of… Read More

We are so heartbroken by the sudden passing of Jessica Clark, a longtime consultant, collaborator and friend to Media Impact Funders, and the founder and director of Dot Connector Studio. Jessica passed away on Oct. 28. Jessica’s work helped shape much of how we—and the broader field—think about media impact. As MIF’s former Director of Research and Strategy, she brought extraordinary insight and creativity to our collective efforts to help funders and practitioners better understand how storytelling drives change. In addition to the rigorous quality of her research and analysis, Jessica brought a whimsical style to her work—always balancing complex ideas with humor and imagination. She delivered lessons about media impact on laminated place mats, on brightly designed decks of cards, and even with a spinning dial, Twister-style—anything to bring ideas to life in a creative, joyful way. Jessica was instrumental in shaping MIF’s programming, including the relaunch of the Media Impact Festival in 2013/14, which celebrated storytelling’s capacity to strengthen communities and transform society. Her frameworks, tools and curiosity helped build a shared language for understanding how media moves people and inspires change. In the 12 years Jessica spearheaded Dot Connector Studio,… Read More

Last month in Charlotte, N.C., Media Impact Funders co-hosted a keynote conversation with Press Forward on the future of public media in a moment of profound change. With the federal government eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the first time in more than 50 years, local public radio and television stations—especially those in rural, Tribal, and under-resourced communities—are facing immediate threats to their sustainability. Yet the conversation made clear: This moment is not only a crisis. It is also an opportunity to reimagine what public media can be. Moderated by MIF Board Chair Kayce Ataiyero, the panelists clearly articulated the value of public media and explored several questions around how to rebuild a system that can keep serving communities for generations to come. Luis Patiño, CEO of Austin PBS, noted, stations have always served entire communities across a lifetime, providing trusted journalism, educational children’s programming, music and arts coverage, and independent documentary film. “Public media serves the whole person,” he said. “Our value comes from our deep relationship with community, and that’s what makes new models possible.” For Ju-Don Marshall, Chief Content Officer at WFAE in… Read More